What Does Luke 22:1 Mean?

Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. Luke merges the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Greek ἡ ἑορτὴ τῶν ἀζύμων, hē heortē tōn azymōn) with the Passover (τὸ πάσχα, to pascha), reflecting how these originally distinct festivals—Passover on Nisan 14, Unleavened Bread on Nisan 15-21—had become one eight-day celebration in Second Temple practice. The phrase drew nigh (ἤγγιζεν, ēngizen, imperfect tense) emphasizes gradual approach, building dramatic tension as Jesus' 'hour' approaches.

This sets the chronological framework for the Passion narrative, grounding Christ's death in Israel's central redemptive festival. The Passover commemorated the Exodus deliverance when the lamb's blood saved Israel from death (Exodus 12), establishing the typological framework Paul would make explicit: 'Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us' (1 Corinthians 5:7). Luke's Gentile audience would need this Jewish calendar clarification.